MAIN QUEST LINE:
Prologue and Meeting Dra'Zanji
As an escaped fugitive fleeing a Thalmor tracker through the treacherous jungles of the Valenwood-Pelletine border, you are waylaid by a Khajiit militia called the Tenurrjihaat. Awakening to the news you have been poisoned by a slow-acting and fatal toxin, they offer you protection from the Thalmor, and an antidote, in exchange for a task that could strike a blow to the Dominion's war effort. You are sent to the Imperial city of Leyawiin to extract Dra'zanji, a Khajiit Clan Mother who possesses crucial information about resurrecting the Mane.
Following the prologue, the player arrives in Leyawiin to meet Dra'zanji (and her Alfiq servant, Joto), who asks in surprise, “You are the one sent to Dra'zanji?” Before the two can escape, Leyawiin is beset by Thalmor soldiers in concert with the Renrijra Krin and Renrijra Maor to apparently eliminate the strategic advantage the Empire possesses from the east. The Khajiit population of the city are told to flee into Anequina while they can; all others are slaughtered. Leyawiin is razed, thanks largely to the presence of a mysterious but powerful Altmer battlemage called Cyrelas Stormire.
The player escapes to safety with Dra'zanji, who reveals the Thalmor sought her death more than Leyawiin's sacking. For decades, the Dominion has surreptitiously replaced the Clan Mothers with “Yajira” (mimics, puppets) to teach false religious doctrine about Jone, Jode (aka Masser and Secunda, the two moons of Tamriel) and the Mane. She fears she may be the last true Shir-Fado, and if so, the secret traditions of the Khajiit could well die with her (Khajiit do not learn from scholarly texts, but from observation and word of mouth, reflecting their ever-shifting nature).
The player asks about Jone and Jode: Dra'zanji laments that while the moons have returned to the night sky, ostensibly through the Thalmor's "Dawn Magics" (refer the Void Nights of 4E 98-4E 100), the sugar is somehow bitter and its dreams less profound than in her youth (especially exalted Clan Mothers were rumoured to use Alfiq servants to extend their lifespans with powerful magic). Because the Mane was assassinated hundreds of years ago, not to return since, Dra'zanji suspects the moons are not aligning to form the third moon of legend.
The player asks about the Dominion: Dra'zanji suspects the Khajiit's worship of their Elven saviours is built on a lie. Without the spiritual leadership of the Mane, whose untimely death was at the hands of an unknown assassin, they were denied their rightful duty of climbing Khenarthi's breath to set right the moons themselves. This failure was a hammer blow to the Khajiit religion. Combined with the Dominion's propaganda, the influence of the Mane and the Clan Mothers has withered within Khajiit society.
The player asks how she plans to set right the moons without the Mane: Dra'zanji reveals that following decades of experimentation with the sugar, she has learned to project herself into Azurah's realm, where the Mane's spirit is currently marooned. When the Khajiit climb the breath of Khenarthi, the Mane will be with them in spirit at least.
The player asks about the Tenurrjihaat: Dra'zanji reveals the Tenurrjihaat (meaning “Sell-swords of the night, Jihaat being a Ta'agra pejorative they have come to embrace) are notorious Dominion-affiliated killers who indeed assassinated many of the Clan Mothers. Were the player to deliver them Dra'zanji, she would surely die. Yet, the player has been afflicted by a slow-acting toxin, and shall otherwise die. Dra'zanji, promising a cure or appealing to the player's benevolence or love of coin, convinces the player to spare her. The player exclaims, “They tricked me!”, to which Dra'zanji simply replies, “Welcome to Elsweyr.” The player may later infiltrate / assault the Tenurrjihaat in search of the antidote from their leader (to be told there isn't one, as the Dominion do not like loose ends).
The player is directed to the city of Orcrest and a herbalist trusted by Dra'zanji. It is here they are followed and confronted by a Blades spy called Tasellis Lucius, who accuses the player of murdering the Blades agent originally meant to meet with Dra'zanji. The Clan Mother convinces Lucius about the player's circumstances and informs him as to the fate of Leyawiin. Dra'zanji strictly refuses to leave the custody of the player, much to Lucius' ire, and the three journey to Orcrest to be rid of the poison en route to the secret Blades base north of Riverhold.